Former Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran has sued Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan for libel. Mr. Surendran’s counsel sent a notice to Mr. Satheesan, demanding that the latter withdraw the “slanderous comments” allegedly linking the former Minister and CPI(M) State committee member to the alleged theft of Sabarimala temple artefacts and their “replication and sale” to wealthy collectors. Mr. Surendran demanded that Mr. Satheesan publicly apologise for the offensive remarks, or face criminal prosecution, including a payment of ₹2 crore in compensation for the alleged affront.Mr. Satheesan’s questionable remarks came while speaking to the media outside the Legislative Assembly gates recently.He was speaking after leading the United Democratic Front (UDF) Opposition legislators in boycotting the day’s Assembly proceedings, demanding the resignation of the current Devaswom Minister, V.N. Vasavan, and the current Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president P.S. Prasanth, concerning the controversy centred around theft of gold-plated copper coverings from the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple precincts. Mr. Satheesan said he would contest Mr. Surendran’s charge politically and legally. He noted that the Kerala High Court’s Division Bench had flagged the possibility that some temple artefacts had found their way into the custody of wealthy collectors for private worship. Published - October 09, 2025 05:23 pm IST